92 Public Servants Dismissed, 1,084 Complaints of Fake Caste Certificates

A report made with the data obtained through RTI Act by The Indian Express reveals that between 2010 and 2019, the Union government received 1,084 complaints about people using fake caste certificates to get government jobs. During this period, 92 public servants were fired for using these fraudulent certificates.

The Indian Railways had the most complaints, with 349 cases. The Department of Posts followed with 259 complaints, then the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways with 202, and the Department of Food and Public Distribution with 138.

The Department of Personnel and Training started tracking these complaints in 2010 after a recommendation from a Parliament committee led by former BJP MP Ratilal Kalidas Varma. The committee advised collecting and addressing information about false caste certificates across all government departments.

This issue gained attention recently due to the Puja Khedkar case. Khedkar, an Indian Administrative Service trainee, had her selection cancelled after it was found that she faked her identity to take the civil services exam more times than allowed.

In response, the Department of Personnel and Training said it has instructed State and Union Territory governments to verify caste certificates promptly. They stressed that it is up to these governments to issue and check these certificates.

The government’s reservation policy includes quotas for different groups: 15% for Scheduled Castes, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes, 27% for Other Backward Classes, 10% for the Economically Weaker Section, and 3% for people with disabilities. According to a 1993 order, anyone found using fake information or certificates to get a job should be dismissed from service.